Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, crazy days on March 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Today was crazy in many ways, but! We finally got to spend a little time with a close friend we haven’t seen in ages (outside, safe and socially distanced, of course) and that was great.
Stay strong, people, we’re so close now. Better days are coming!
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Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, good news, hope, people on March 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Society has been making progress, but some days it can still seem as though bad news outweighs the good. And then you see a story like this and remember that for all the negatives out there, humanity continues to answer with resounding positives.
And there go the heart strings.
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Posted in Holidays, Reviews, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, history, NASA, Octavia Butler, perseverance, Terminator, Women's Day on March 8, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Today is International Women’s Day, and I’m feeling fine. If you’re interested in learning more about the sorts of women who are often shunned by history, check out this sampling of women who dared greatly:
Historical awesome:
And in a bit of modern-day awesome, NASA has named the Perseverance landing site after Octavia Butler. How cool is that?
Speaking of NASA:
Inspiration much? Yes, thanks!
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In related news, we finally watched Terminator: Dark Fate and enjoyed the heck out of it. I’ll admit to avoiding it, a bit. Lackluster reviews, messed-up timeline issues (which earlier movies were we supposed to ignore and which not? oy), plus the “Yeah, you’re not the threat. It’s your womb” series concept kept me from watching it sooner.
Now that I have, what did I think?
Let’s just say that the ladies kick ass.
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, cat with laser pointer, CovidHair, fail better, make new mistakes on March 7, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I cut Mr. Man’s hair this morning. I think this is the fourth time, and I’ve noticed a pattern. I try something new, I read up on it, get through round one but have some issues. Next attempt, I read up more, address the issues from round one, and find new issues. Rinse and repeat.
The haircut came out pretty well, actually, just not perfect. Next time I’ll see if I can fix what wasn’t 100% and find new ways to move forward.
That’s my goal, to make new mistakes.
I’ve found that this pattern also repeats in other arenas, like writing. All I can say is, start at the beginning and do your best, improving as you go. As Beckett’s quote goes, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”
And that, my friends, is progress:)
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Posted in Entertainment, Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, back in the day, cartoons, Chicago, family, fun, memories, music, Saturdays on March 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Saturday mornings always remind me of cartoons and classical music.
We didn’t have a television when I was growing up (or junk food like sugary cereals), which was great for reading and not quite so great for social integration. (This was before there was a smartphone in every pocket, terabytes of entertainment at every turn, and the splintering of society. But I digress.)
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I did manage to absorb a decent amount of after-school programming and advertising jingles at friends’ houses, and Saturday morning cartoons when we visited our grandparents.
They had a cute little house in Chicago, with a TV room in the back. That’s where I slept when we visited, and I loved it because it meant I could wake up early and start the day with a deliciously sweet diet of cartoons. My brother would join me soon after, and we’d watch until the rest of the house was up.
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Most Saturdays, though, we’d wake up at home. What those experiences had in common was classical music. Cartoons have used classical scores for decades. My father is a big fan, and likes to start the day with classical music, played loud. Especially on Saturdays. One of the first albums he bought us as kids was Peter and the Wolf.
To this day, I can’t hear that Prokofiev tune without smiling.
I wasn’t the only one indoctrinated by the classical/cartoon connection, of course. Many of you were right there with me. Click through for a fun thread that identifies a number of the more recognizable pieces.
Or perhaps you are looking for a 2+ hour collection of cartoon music? Then this is your lucky day!
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Since I’m thinking of my father and music, here’s a link I think he might enjoy:
I have no idea what most of these shows were (United States Steel Hour?), but I hope that he does, and that some of this music brings a smile to his face, too.
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Happy Saturday!
Posted in Favorites, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, #crapweek, Motivation, paradox of choice, weird, writing on March 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »
It’s been a weird week.
I’d planned something else for today’s post but the website I needed is down. Or just hates me, which is the same thing.
Instead, let’s talk about motivation. And how I don’t have any at the moment. I’m a little stuck when it comes to writing, and while other work is getting done, on that front I’m just… stuck.
I’m sure I’m not alone, and it can help to remember that.
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I’m reading, way too much. Not possible, you say? Well, honestly, I’d agree you most of the time. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love to read (thanks, parental units!). It serves me well most of the time, and of course you have to read well in order to write well.
Input is good but there must be output as well. And right now the balance is a bit off.
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I am hesitant. That’s a fairly accurate word for it, I think. Asking which direction to go, what steps to take, what story to tell? It’s called the paradox of choice, as in, having too many options makes it harder to make a decision, not easier. This concept is typically applied to decisions about things like breakfast cereals, but it works here too.
So, what to do?
Maybe I’ll limit myself to a certain genre, or length, or story model. Or maybe I’ll make a rule to follow. (I actually like doing that, it does make life much easier. As in, Monday, Wednesday, Friday I work out. No questions, no time spent planning, no wasted brain power trying to wiggle out of it;)
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It helps that today is Friday, that most wondrous of days. Mr. Man will be home soon and there will be laughter and warmth and frosty adult beverages for all. And so long as I keep moving, keep doing, keep trying, I’ll still make progress. Even when things get weird:)
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Posted in Entertainment, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, bit of fun on March 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »
You may have noticed that I like funky little websites where people use their creativity to help us use ours. On that topic, I built a spaceship this morning.
This site takes your ship name and builds you a ship.
This is an experimental platform for mass customization and procrastination.
They also do other types of models but I wanted a spaceship. This should surprise absolutely no one who knows me.
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Here is my ship, the HMS Happy Day
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Is it weird that it looks like a time-traveling engineer hacked together an AT-AT and the walls of Gondor?
I didn’t think so either:)
Now I’m off to do something more concrete, but my day will be better for that quick mental break. Here’s hoping you can find a little fun in your day too!
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, busy, magic, wand on March 3, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Somehow this day has completely gotten away from me. I’m still cranking away on day job stuff, so I will leave you with this magic wand. Which I will need to finish off all the items still on my list:)
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Have fun getting things done!
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, Motivation, productivity on March 2, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Today, do something amazing.
…
And the more I learn about creativity, productivity, and motivation, the more I realize that the most important word in that sentence is “today.”
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, Octavia Butler, Writers, writing on March 1, 2021| 1 Comment »
Yesterday it was Black History Month and today it is Women’s History Month. It seems like the perfect day to spotlight American science fiction writer Octavia Butler.
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Who was she?
Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction author. A multiple recipient of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, she became in 1995 the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.
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What makes her work special?
I think the first Butler book I read was The Parable of the Sower, found in the interesting section of the family’s bookshelves. It had a woman’s name and a black image on the cover. Count me in, I said. And then it got interesting.
This was no whitewashed far future in space, or something like Heinlein’s more recognizable near-ish futures. We begin in a devastated California, raw and gritty and often painful, but with hope and purpose to bind it together into a larger whole.
This NPR show talks about her work and what made it remarkable:
Octavia Butler: Visionary Fiction
She was a deep observer of the human condition, perplexed and inspired by our propensity towards self-destruction. Butler was also fascinated by the cyclical nature of history, and often looked to the past when writing about the future. Along with her warnings is her message of hope — a hope conjured by centuries of survival and persistence. For every society that perished in her books, came a story of rebuilding, of repair.
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Where to start?
She became the first science fiction author to be granted a MacArthur fellowship, and the first Black woman to win Hugo and Nebula awards. Today her influence spans literature, genres and media.
— The Essential Octavia Butler – The New York Times
These links lay out her work and explore her growth as a writer. Explore more to get a better sense of what she wrote and why.
Where to Start with Octavia Butler | The New York Public Library
“‘Devil Girl from Mars’: Why I Write Science Fiction”
In 1998, Butler delivered an address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She describes the thinking behind several of her works of fiction and her motivations for writing. It is essential reading for understanding the social consciousness behind the beloved writer’s oeuvre.
— NYPL
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I won’t lie. Butler’s work is good but can be challenging, not least because of the way it takes a visceral look at who we are and what we can be (both the good and the bad). In many ways, I think of her writing as a more realistic, more historically-informed vision of our future than many of the rah rah space travel versions of sci-fi. Unless we change, that is.
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